Maryland Teens Place Seventh in Canon Envirothon

ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 2, 2012)  A five-member team of high school students from Harford Christian School in Harford County placed seventh among top-ranking teams from 44 states, nine Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory at the 2012 Canon Envirothon, a week-long environmental education competition sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.  The announcement was made during the closing ceremonies at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. on July 26. The top 15 teams were awarded a share of more than $125,000 dollars in scholarships, prizes and awards.  As seventh place finishers, the Harford students each received $1,300 in scholarship funding.  The team advisor is  Ada Stambaugh. Team members are: Hunter Howell, Josh Mahr, Luke Tittel, Emily Stricklin, and Brianna Coleman.

“These teens are among the brightest and the best in North America,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Earl F. “Buddy” Hance.  “They represent the future of Maryland agriculture and Maryland’s natural resources.  I am very proud of their achievements.”

Students participating in the Canon Envirothon have been studying natural resources for the past year.  They compete in five areas of environmental studies:  soil/land use, aquatics ecology, forestry, wildlife, and this year’s environmental issue : non-point-source pollution- low impact development.  Test questions included written and required hands-on observations, measurements and calculations. Teams also composed and presented a 20-minute oral presentation on non-point source pollution/-low impact development and answered questions in front of a panel of judges. The Harford team scored 541 points out of a possible 700 points.  The top finisher, a team of students from Missouri, scored 598 points. This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the  Envirothon competition

The Harford team earned its spot at the Canon Enivrothon by winning both its county competition and the state competition.  In Maryland, the Envirothon is sponsored by the state’s soil conservation districts and the State Soil Conservation Committee.  To learn more about the Maryland and Canon Envirothons, visit www.mascd.net or www.envirothon.org.